THE DAHLIA TRILOGY

BLACK DAHLIA

Secret Book Madness - "This series grabs my emotions and throws them all over the place. This installment is no different."

Typical Distractions Blog - "This novella is a whirlwind and it kept slapping me across the face (in the most shocking and best way possible)."

Smut and Bonbons - "Wow! This one drops so many bombshells it’s not funny. . . .This one starts with a bang and ends with a cliffhanger. I think this is what makes it my favorite of this series."

Cronicas de Uma Leitora - "Black dahlia is a bold novella. It takes a lot of courage to do what Winslow did with the plot . . . The anger, the desperation and the loss, the feelings are raw and it is amazing how in such a short amount of pages we can experience such devastating emotions."

Twin Opinions - "I love this series and I am excited for more! Vivian Winslow can write a book that pulls you in quickly! This is a book most will love."

Grieving from a tragic loss, a deeply depressed Dahlia retreats with her sister Lily and best friend Vi to a sun-soaked Indonesian paradise to heal. There, she meets soulful surfer Kai, who's seeking to escape from the demons of his own past. Can the spiritual and physical connection between them put back together the pieces of Dahlia's shattered heart?

BLACK DAHLIA IS THE SECOND INSTALLMENT OF THE DAHLIA TRILOGY OF THE GILDED FLOWER SERIES.

Lily smiles. “It is later, you slacker. You’ve been sleeping in a lot.”

“Yeah well . . .”

“Don’t worry, D, I get it,” Lily reassures her.

Dahlia props her head on her elbow. “Get what exactly?”

Lily sighs. She doesn’t really want to get into this. Dahlia’s made it clear she doesn’t want to talk about Shane and life without him.

“That you’re depressed, D. You’re grieving. If you need to sleep to cope, so be it. You don’t need me to talk to you about being productive or keeping busy or planning your future. I just want you to start embracing life again, whatever that means to you.”

“I think it’s time you go back to New York, Lil. You’re starting to sound like Vi.” Dahlia falls back onto her pillows.

“You asked, D.”

Dahlia looks away in response.

“Anyhow,” Lily says, “Take care of yourself. I’ll call you as soon as I land in New York. Hopefully you’ll come visit me in Miami when you get back to the States.” She leans in to kiss Dahlia on the cheek then closes the bedroom door softly.

Dahlia doesn’t go back to sleep. Lily’s words are like a marble rolling around in her head. Depressed . . . grieving . . . coping. Dahlia’s never appreciated or accepted labels. She always fought to defy them somehow, perhaps because she feared that they would box her in and eventually suffocate her. She hated living in New York for this reason, which made being in California so appealing. But now, California always remind her of Shane. And with Lily out of New York, she has nothing to tie her to the city. Will I ever find a place that feels like home? She wonders.

The sound of Vi shouting forces Dahlia out of bed. She rushes downstairs, so focused on the expletives coming from outside that she doesn’t register the tall, half-naked muscular guy descending the stairs ahead of her. She crashes into him, catching herself on the rail while he tumbles the rest of the way.

“Oh my God,” Dahlia screams. “I’m so sorry, I d-didn’t see you.”

He quickly stands, looking as embarrassed as Dahlia. “No worries,” he replies.

Her eyes linger a bit too long on his bare sculpted chest. She instantly recognizes him from the party last night.

“Oliver, right?”

“Ollie,” he corrects. “And you’re Dahlia.” He gives her a wide smile.

Vi’s yelling distracts Dahlia. She spots her friend outside on her phone, pacing and smoking a cigarette. “Did you post bail?. . . Why the hell not?. . . Where in the fuck is the lawyer?”

“Your friend always this high-strung?” Ollie asks Dahlia.

She turns her attention back to him and shrugs. Vi’s one of the most unflappable people she knows. But what she’s hearing doesn’t sound like the same woman who’s been lecturing her about finding internal peace.

“I came home early. Didn’t feel like hanging out,” she replies casually. Dahlia steps backward to get a bit of breathing room.

“Vi,” she calls out, heading toward the terrace. She glances back at Ollie, who grins at her as he puts on his t-shirt. “What’s up?”

Vi holds up a finger as if to say, “Give me a minute,” then walks to the gazebo at the edge of the infinity pool to continue her conversation.

Dahlia sighs. She’s never seen Vi so tense. She stands there another minute, not wanting to go back into the house. By his body language and too friendly personality, Dahlia could tell Ollie wouldn’t mind seeing if he could hook up with her as well, or maybe even go for a threesome. The thought makes Dahlia nauseous.

She spins around to see Kai approaching them through the kitchen. Dahlia smiles a bit too brightly, relieved to have an excuse to get away from Ollie.

“Ready for the beach?” He asks.

Dahlia nods, playing along. She’d gladly be anywhere but here. Vi is about to combust, and Ollie seems to want to get a bit too friendly.

“Two minutes,” she says, racing up the stairs.

Chapter 18

“So that’s twice you’ve helped me when I’ve been confronted by snakes,” Dahlia says as she follows Kai down to the beach.

He looks back at her and laughs. “At least you weren’t barefoot or underdressed this time.”

Dahlia raises an eyebrow. “Not to sound ungrateful, but why’d you show up at the house? I thought you were supposed to be a ghost or something.”

“The housekeeper saw Ollie walking around naked and called me. Made her nervous not having a guy around. She just asked that I come around and check things out. She’s from a small village and isn’t used to women with, umm, you know, male guests.” Dahlia could only imagine her horror if the woman took care of her New York apartment.